The Developing Person

Chapter 4
1. If a mother drinks heavily, her baby may be mentally retarded.
2. Newborns see only a blur of meaningless light and dark shades.
3. Before age 2, infants cannot think.
4. Infants initially develop close attachment to their mothers merely
because they provide nourishment.
5. Most abusive parents were themselves battered or neglected as children.
6. Nine of 10 high-school seniors agree with the statement, On the whole,
Im satisfied with myself.
7. Menopause creates significant psychological problems for women.
8. Most mothers are depressed for a time after their children grow up, leave
home, and marry.
9. People in their twenties and thirties report greater life satisfaction than
those in their sixties and seventies.
10. The first two years of life provide a good basis for predicting a persons
eventual personality traits.
Directions: On a piece of paper number 1-10. For each statement decide if it is true (T) or
false (F).
T
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
T
T
I. Introduction To Development
Developmental Psychology the branch of
psychology that studies the physical, mental
and social changes throughout the human life
cycle.
Life is sexually transmitted
The major issues in development
1. Nature Vs Nurture = The question involves
which has more impact on our development;
the traits we inherit or the environment that
we live in
2. Continuity Vs Stages (discontinuity) = Asks the
question is development gradual, or does it
proceed through a sequence of separate
stages
3. Stability Vs Change = Do our personality traits
persist or do we become different as we age
Research Methods

Cross-sectional: Study different participants,
various ages, one point in time.

Longitudinal: Study same participants, extended
period of time. Major problems- Expensive,
time consuming.
Prenatal Development
1. Zygote = the fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week
period of rapid cell division and develops into an
embryo
2. embryo = the developing human organism from
about 2 weeks after conception through the second
month
3. Fetus = the developing human organism from
about 9 weeks through birth

40 Days
45 Days
2
Months
4
Months
Entering fetal period
Development occurs
a. cephalocaudal = head first then
the body
b. and Proximodistal = meaning form
the center outward
4. Teratogen =Agents such as
chemicals and viruses, that can
reach the embryo or fetus
during prenatal development
and cause harm
5. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome =
physical and cognitive
abnormalities in children caused
by a pregnant womans heavy
drinking. Symptoms include
facial mis-proportions and
lifelong brain abnormalities.
**FAS effects are visible for 1 in 750 infants.
** About 4 in 10 alcoholic mothers who drink
during pregnancy have babies with FAS.
b. Grasping reflex If an
object is placed in the
palm or in the foot pad,
the baby will try to
grasp it and hold on.
The Competent Newborn
Reflex Abilities
a. Rooting reflex = a babys tendency, when touched on the
cheek, to open the mouth turn the head and search for
the nipple
c. Moro reflex when
startled a baby will first
lash out with its arms and
legs and then try to pull
its arms and legs in to
make it as small as
possible.

d. Babinski reflex When a
babys foot is stroked he or
she will spread the toes.
Research on the capabilities of babys
a. In regard to hearing?
Babies prefer the sound of a human voice, especially their
mother.
b. In regards to vision?
Babies prefer to look at an object that resembles a human face
They prefer objects that are between 8 - 12 inches away - which
happens to be about the distance from the breast to the
mothers face
c. In regards to smell?
- Babies will turn their heads toward the smell of their own
mother



Infancy and Childhood
A. Physical
Development
1. Brain Development
a. Maturation =
biological growth
processes that enable
orderly changes in
behavior, relatively
uninfluenced by
experience
At birth 3 months 15 months
Cortical Neurons
Developmental Hallmarks
Give your best estimate of the age at which about 50 percent
of children begin to: (answers should be in months or years)
1. Laugh ______
2. Pedal a tricycle _____
3. Sit without support _____
4. Feel ashamed _____
5. Walk unassisted _____
6. Stand on one foot for 10 seconds _____
7. Recognize and smile at mother and father ____
8. Kicks ball forward _____
9. Think about things that cannot be seen _____
10. Make two-word sentences _____
2 months
4-5 months
20-22 months
2 years
20 months
4 years
2 years
2 years
5-6 months
12 months
Number your paper 1-10 and follow the directions below
b. Maturation and Infant Memory
1. We have few early memories because we lack the neural
connections to make memories
2. What are two examples of memory feats of infants
3 month olds remembering to use their foot to propel a
mobile
shown an out-of-focus picture 3 year olds will recall the
picture better if they were shown a clear version, 3 months
earlier even though they have no conscious recollection of
ever seeing the picture
Motor Development
i. The sequence of motor development is
universal
ii. The timing varies from culture to culture
iii. There are genetic factors that influence
development as well. Twins begin
walking on about the same day
iv. Motor development is not entirely a
process of maturation, the environment
does play a role.
Decades of Life
Decade:
0-9 _____ _____ _____
10-19 _____ _____ _____
20-29 _____ _____ _____
30-39 _____ _____ _____
50-59 _____ _____ _____
80-89 _____ _____ _____

Write down three words that seem appropriate for each decade of life
working parents married
Cognitive Development
Piagets Major Concepts
1. Schemas- mental representations of the
world.
**We try to understand something new by using one of our
preexisting schemas.**



2. Assimilation- We try to fit new objects into
our schemas.


3. Accomodation- When we change our schemas
to fit the characteristics of new objects.


Assimilation and accommodation work together
to produce intellectual growth.

Stages of Cognitive Development
Four Stages Abilities Limits
Sensorimotor
(Birth to 2 years)
-Uses senses and motor skills
to explore and dev. Cognitively
At the beginning of the stage-
lack object permanence
Preoperational
(Ages 2 to 7)
-Has significant language and
thinks symbolically
Egocentric thinking
Concrete Operational
(Age 7 to 11)
-Can perform operations on
concrete objects
-Understands conservation
Cannot think abstractly and
hypothetically
Formal Operational
(Ages 11 and up)
-Can think abstractly and
hypothetically
Object Permanence- A childs realization that an
object exists even when he or she cannot see
or touch it.

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Egocentric thinking refers to seeing and thinking
of the world from your own standpoint and
having difficulty understanding someone
elses viewpoint and other perspectives.

Conservation is the principle that a given
quantity does not change when its
appearance is changed.

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Social Development
Konrad Lorenz- Studied goslings.

Imprinting- inherited tendencies or responses
that are displayed by newborn animals when
they encounter new stimuli in their
environment.

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Critical period- optimal time when
certain events must take place
to facilitate proper development
Harry Harlow- studied relationship between
mother and child. Do infants prefer food or
contact comfort?

Wanted to know what made the mother so
important. (Rhesus Monkeys raised with
surrogate mothers).

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Harlows Surrogate
Mother Experiments

What did Harlow find?
-Monkeys preferred
contact with the
comfortable cloth
mother, even while
feeding from the
nourishing wire mother
Mary Ainsworth- Studied attachment.
(Experiment-Strange Situation)

Stranger Anxiety- When a 1-year-old child
encounters a stranger, that child may display
anxiety even when the mother is present.
*If the mother remains nearby the anxiety passes.

Separation Anxiety- occurs whenever the child is
suddenly separated from the mother.
*If the separation persists, the child may develop
psychological disorders.

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Parenting Styles
1. Authoritarian Families- Parents are bosses.
They do not believe that they have to explain
their actions or demands.

2. Authoritative (Democratic) Families- Children
participate in decisions affecting their lives.
Parents make an effort to explain their rules
and expectations.

3. Permissive (Laissez-faire) Families- Children
have the final say. Parents may give up their
child-rearing responsibilitiessetting no rules
about behavior, making no demands, virtually
ignoring the young people in the house.


Kohlbergs Stages of Moral
Development

Studied the development of moral reasoning
deciding what is right and what is wrong.

Kohlbergs Moral Ladder
As moral
development
progresses, the
focus of concern
moves from the
self to the wider
social world.
Morality of abstract
principles: to affirm
agreed-upon rights and
personal ethical principles
Morality of law and
social rules: to gain
approval or avoid
disapproval
Morality of self-interest:
to avoid punishment
or gain concrete rewards
Postconventional
level
Conventional
level
Preconventional
level
In a country in Europe, a poor named Valjean could find no
work, nor could his sister and brother. Without money, he
stole food and medicine that they needed. He was captured
and sentenced to prison for six years. After a couple of years,
he escaped from the prison and went to live in another part
of the country under a new name. He saved money and
slowly built up a big factory. He gave his workers the highest
wages and used most of his profits to build a hospital for
people who couldnt afford good medical care. Twenty years
had passed when a tailor recognized the factory owner as
being Valjean, the escaped convict whom the police had been
looking for back in his hometown.
Should the tailor report Valjean to the police?
Kohlbergs Stages of Moral Development
Pre-conventional Morality
Conventional Morality
Post-conventional Morality
1
2
3
4
5
6
Level Stage Characteristics
Avoidance of punishment
Further ones own desires
Get concrete rewards
Live up to the expectations
of others
Law and order- doing ones
duty.
Social contract- values and
Rules are relative but need
To be upheld.
Universal ethical principles
Example
Possible responses
Preconventional Morality:
1. Avoids Punishment The tailor will be in trouble if he does not tell
the police.
2. Gains Rewards The tailor may get a reward for turning in a criminal.

Conventional Morality:
3. Gains Approval/Avoids Disapproval If you dont report him,
everyone will think you are just as much a criminal.
4 Does duty to society/avoids dishonor or guilt There has to
be respect for the written law.

Postconventional Morality:
5. Affirms agreed-upon rights Although turning Valjean in may
not be perfectly just, leaving such decisions up to each
persons judgment would result in greater injustice
Moral Dilemma
In Europe, a woman was near death from cancer. One drug
might save her, a form of radium that druggist in the same
town had recently discovered. The druggist was charging
$2,000, ten times what the drug cost him to make. The sick
womans husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to
borrow the money, but he could get together only about half
of what it cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying
and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the
druggist said, No. The husband got desperate and broke into
the mans store to steal the drug for his wife.

Should the husband have done that? Why?
Kohlbergs Stages of Moral Development
Pre-conventional Morality
Conventional Morality
Post-conventional Morality
1
2
3
4
5
6
Level Stage Characteristics
Avoidance of punishment
Further ones own desires
Get concrete rewards
Law and order- doing ones
duty.
Social contract- values and
Rules are relative but need
To be upheld.
Universal ethical principles
Example
Ok to steal if he doesnt
get caught
Stealing the drug helps
his wife
His in-laws will respect
him if he steals the drug
Its illegal to steal
Its ok to steal because
the druggist is charging
too much
If the situations were
reversed, would the
druggist steal from Heinz?
Live up to the expectations
of others

Eriksons Stages of Psychosocial
Development
Approximate
age Stage Description of Task

Infancy Trust vs. mistrust If needs are dependably met, infants
(1st year) develop a sense of basic trust.

Toddler Autonomy vs. shame Toddlers learn to exercise will and
(2nd year) and doubt do things for themselves, or they
doubt their abilities.

Preschooler Initiative vs. guilt Preschoolers learn to initiate tasks
(3-5 years) and carry out plans, or they feel
guilty about efforts to be independent.

Elementary Competence vs. Children learn the pleasure of applying
(6 years- inferiority themselves to tasks, or they feel
puberty) inferior.
Approximate
age Stage Description of Task

Adolescence Identity vs. role Teenagers work at refining a sense of self by
(teens into confusion testing roles and then integrating them to
20s) form a single identity, or they become
confused about who they are.

Young Adult Intimacy vs. Young adults struggle to form close relation-
(20s to early isolation ships and to gain the capacity for intimate
40s) love, or they feel socially isolated.

Middle Adult Generativity vs. The middle-aged discover a sense of contri-
(40s to 60s) stagnation buting to the world, usually through family
and work, or they may feel a lack of purpose.

Late Adult Integrity vs. When reflecting on his or her life, the older
(late 60s and despair adult may feel a sense of satisfaction or
up) failure.
Adulthood: Cognitive Development
Crystallized Intelligence
ones accumulated knowledge and verbal
skills
tends to increase with age
Fluid Intelligence
ones ability to reason speedily and abstractly
tends to decrease during late adulthood
Death and Dying
Kubler-Ross Stages of Death
a. Denial = resistance to the initial discovery by seeking other
opinions or refusal to accept death will occur

b. Anger and resentment = often directed at others out of
resentment, frustration and feelings of injustice (Why me?)

c. Bargaining for more time = with God, fate or medical
professionals to change the situation

d. Depression = when the inevitability of death is realized.
Preparatory grieving or depression may occur for all that will
be lost

e. Acceptance = giving up to death, becoming more resolved
withdrawn and emotionally drained
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